


Nightmare Protocol

by somekindaspacecadet



Series: I Wonder What I'd Be (Without You) [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who Academy Era
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mill and Rallon being parents, Nightmares, Telepathy, The Deca - Freeform, Theta stole Ushas's dinosaur flashlight, but nothing really scary because i cannot bear to harm my children, rallon reads educational material as a bedtime story so watch out for that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23726050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somekindaspacecadet/pseuds/somekindaspacecadet
Summary: Koschei's brain isn't always the nicest place to be, especially at night. It's a good thing his mom and dad are right down the hall.
Relationships: Millennia (Doctor Who)/Rallon (Doctor Who), The Doctor | Theta Sigma & The Master | Koschei (Doctor Who: Academy Era), The Doctor | Theta Sigma/The Master | Koschei (Doctor Who: Academy Era)
Series: I Wonder What I'd Be (Without You) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1708927
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Nightmare Protocol

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to start adding little pieces to an overall Deca/Academy Era/Pre- Doctor and Master series.
> 
> In my headcanon, Millennia and Rallon are the oldest members of the Deca, and they become like parents to the others, particularly Theta, Koschei, and Ushas, who are the youngest. In this fic, Theta and Kos are both ten, and Ushas is twelve (not that that tells you how old they are in human years... they're babey, that's all you need to know).

Koschei jolted awake, hearts pounding against his ribcage. He gasped for air and clawed at his bedsheets, shoving them away. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and leaned with his elbows against his knees, staring at the ground as his eyes adjusted slowly to the dark. His efforts to stay awake at night were apparently only making things worse; he'd struggled to keep his eyes open for hours, and eventually succumbed to his exhaustion, only to be terrorized by the same images he'd seen every night for weeks. Every time he closed his eyes, there they were: an incomprehensible jumble of faces, shouting, fire, laughter, fear. All of it pulsed with a terror that gripped the little boy in a way he couldn't rationalize.

A sudden rustle made Kos gasp and clutch his blanket around himself, feeling suddenly exposed. He scrabbled around for the familiar shape of his teddy bear and squeezed it against his chest, jerking his feet up onto the mattress.

"Kos? Are you awake?"

Theta. Koschei felt himself relax a little, and opened his mouth to answer. All that came out was a little squeak.

More rustling came from Theta's side of the room, and then the soft sound of footsteps. A small click preceded the glow of Theta's flashlight-- the plastic filter in the shape of an Earth dinosaur was still clipped to the lens. Theta sat down on the mattress next to Kos, quick to wrap his arms around his friend tightly. "Did you have a nightmare?" he whispered.

Kos bobbed his head against Theta's shoulder. Theta was warm, and his hair was soft, and he still smelled like the pink bubblegum he'd insisted on chewing all day. Kos was sure Theta could hear the beating of his hearts.

"Come on." Theta stood up, unwrapping himself from Koschei gently. He grabbed his dinosaur flashlight with one hand, jostling the triceratops cast on the floor, and extended the other to Kos. "Wanna go see Mill and Rallon?"

Koschei hesitated. It was hard even on a good day for him to accept that it was okay to ask for help. It was the middle of the night, and Millennia and Rallon had said they were tired from a presentation they'd had to give today. They probably didn't want to be woken up for this. Kos chewed on his lip.

"It'll be okay," Theta whispered. His blue eyes were wide and oddly pale in the dark. "They said you should come get them if it happened again, remember?"

After another pause, Kos reached up and took Theta's hand. He got to his feet, still clinging to his bear, and shuffled a step behind Theta as they made their way out the door and to the end of the hall. His hearts picked up again as Theta stopped in front of the door to the room that Millennia and Rallon shared. Just like all the others, it was wooden and blank, but Kos would have known it anywhere. He had walked these same footsteps hundreds of times during the past two and a half years-- but usually in daylight, and usually when he wasn't so scared of inconveniencing anyone. Theta reached up to turn the handle, and the hinges creaked a little as the door swung open.

To Kos's surprise, the room was warmly lit by the low light of the two lamps that sat on the desks on either side of Millennia and Rallon's bed. The bed was actually two pushed together, and nestled in the pillows and quilt were Millenna, Rallon, and Ushas. Ushas was tucked between the two older students, her face barely visible behind a large book. Rallon finished turning a page and all three looked up at the sound of the door opening. Rallon grinned. "Hey, guys!" His voice was low as he lifted his blanket and stepped over to the doorway. "And hello, Mr. Buttons." He smiled and winked in the direction of Kos's bear. He ushered the two of them in and gently closed the door. "Come on in."

"I'm sure we've got room in this bed somewhere," Millennia said as she handed the book to Ushas and scooted toward the middle of the bed. She patted the mattress and made room for Koschei as Rallon helped Theta climb onto the bed and under the covers next to him.

Kos stood next to the bed, staring at the empty space Millenia had just made for him. Ushas was staring at him, the book lying open in her lap. He felt a sting behind his eyes and tried to swallow the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat.

"You want to come sit with me, sweetheart?" Millennia asked softly.

Face burning, Kos kept his eyes firmly on the wrinkled bedsheets. He fiddled with one of Mr. Button's buttons. Words welled up in his chest, but didn't escape his mouth. He felt his lips begin to tremble. He shifted his feet as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Kos had a nightmare," Theta blurted, anxiety laced into his voice. "He keeps having nightmares. He woke up all scared again and so I told him we should come get you but he wouldn't say anything and--" he stumbled over his words, dropping off in the middle of his sentence.

"Well, I'm glad you two came here." Millennia glanced over at Rallon, Ushas, and Theta with a soft smile. "Hey, why don't you guys read for a little bit while Kos and I talk, okay?"

"Sounds good," Rallon agreed readily. He managed to wrap both his arms around Theta and Ushas and hold the book in front of them. He jostled Theta against his side playfully, earning him a surprised giggle. "Theta, you like deep sea biology, don't you?"

"Uh huh."

"Great." Rallon cleared his throat and began to read. "And the greater the depth, the more complex the life form. The deep sea receives no sunlight, but some creatures can generate their own light through bioluminescence…"

As Rallon's voice quietly trailed on, Millennia gently untangled herself from the bed and sat at its edge, facing Koschei. She held out her arms. "Hey. Let's go sit for a minute, okay?" She nodded toward her desk chair. 

Kos timidly stepped forward and allowed himself to be scooped up and carried over to the chair, where Millennia sat down and settled Kos into her lap. Kos laid his head on Millennia's chest. She began to comb her fingers through his hair as he sniffled into her soft sleeping robes. Millennia pushed her feet against the floor, gently rocking them back and forth. After a moment, she began to nudge gently at Kos's thoughts.

_Can you let me see your nightmare?_

Kos tried to organize his thoughts and push the right one forward, but it all came up in a tangle: the nightmare, the exhaustion, the anger at how his words wouldn't come out, the embarrassment at asking for help, the surprise at seeing Ushas there when he'd expected Millennia and Rallon to be alone. A muffled sob escaped his lips as the pressure of his thoughts came forward, but it soon began to be lifted as he felt Millennia start to sift through them. It was Iike the times she'd helped him organize his papers or fold his clothes, all those things he didn't even know how to begin to do when he'd first come to the Academy. She was methodical, careful, sensitive to every detail, tucking memories away where they belonged and reassuring each worry logically, one by one. We love you. We're here to help you. Theta loves you. It was only a dream. There's always room here for you. You're safe. We love you. You can rest now. We love you. We love you.

Kos's breathing slowly evened, the thumping in his chest gradually subsided. He closed his eyes as Millennia continued to brush her fingers across his temple. "Do you want to stay here with us tonight?" She whispered aloud. "Or do you want to go back to your room with Theta? It's your choice."

"Stay," Kos managed hoarsely.

"Okay." Millennia pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Ready to go back to the bed?"

"Mhm."

Millennia got to her feet, Kos in her arms, and moved them back to her side of the bed. She tucked them both in under the covers, keeping an arm around Koschei as he wedged himself in between her torso and a pillow. She made sure to untangle the quilt and tuck Mr. Buttons under Kos's free arm. On the other side of the bed, Rallon continued to read about life on the seafloor. His voice rose and fell, rose and fell, creating what was almost a melody between sentences. Koschei watched the way the lamp’s reflections and shadows fell across Ushas’s hair, loose from its usual harsh ponytail; Rallon’s slightly rounded jawline, dotted with stubble; Theta’s eyelids, drifting open and closed more slowly with each blink. Millennia was watching Rallon too, with that familiar smile on her face that appeared every time she looked at him. Kos was sure she never knew it was there.

Rallon must have finished the chapter, because he clapped the book shut and slid a scrap piece of paper between the pages to mark his place. “I think that’s just about enough for tonight,” he pronounced. “Some of us need our rest.”

“Like you,” Millennia teased. “You put your shoes on the wrong feet this morning.”

Rallon gasped in mock offense, but his characteristic smile was reinstated as soon as Millennia leaned over to give him a kiss. 

“Ew,” Ushas mumbled.

Theta giggled. “I’ll kiss you, Squishes. It’s not as yucky as you think.” He sat up and puckered his lips, making exaggerated kissing noises at Ushas. Ushas scowled, disgusted.

“Theta,” Millennia scolded lightly. “What have we told you about kissing other people without asking first?”

“I _was_ asking!”

“Alright, alright. Time to settle down.” Rallon ruffled Theta’s hair affectionately. “It’s late, and we don’t want anybody sleeping in class again, do we? Come on, lie down.” Rallon placed the book on his desk and shifted so his head was on his pillow instead of resting against the headboard. He reached one arm up to switch off his lamp, and next to Kos, Millennia did the same. The room was bathed in cool darkness and silence.

“Goodnight, Squishes,” came Theta’s whisper after a moment. “Goodnight, Kos.”

“Goodnight,” Ushas whispered back.

“‘Night,” said Kos.

“Goodnight, mom. Goodnight, dad.”

A smile was in Rallon’s voice as he said “Goodnight, Theta. Love you.”

“Everybody loves everybody,” Millennia whispered. “Can we sleep now?”

“Go to sleep, everybody. Milly’s feeling grumpy.” Rallon whispered.

After another huff of laughter from Millennia, silence fell again. Kos wasn’t sure how much time passed before he fell asleep for the second time that night, his forehead pressed against Millennia’s side and his arms wrapped around Mr. Buttons. All he could remember the next morning was a lack of nightmares, and the lingering reassurance of a telepathic thread left strung between him and Millennia. It was one end of a line he knew connected to Rallon, to Ushas, to Theta, to Drax and Jelpax and Magnus and Mortimus and Vansell, a well-crafted web that had welcomed him from the very first day he’d come to the Academy. There was only so much that love could do, he thought. It couldn’t get rid of his nightmares and bad memories forever. But if it could add a few memories of warmth and safety, a few hours of blissfully uninterrupted sleep, then it was worth everything.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr @somekindaspacecadet. I post about Star Trek most of the time, but do not be fooled, I'd love to talk your ear off about these children. Also, follow my partner in crime @thinking-about-ducks. We've been coming up with these headcanons together since we, like Kos and Theta, were babey.


End file.
